Tomato Paste

In the town of Fidenza, 14 miles west of Parma, tomato lovers in the last century put tomato sauce out in the sun. When it dried, this concentrate was kept to impart tomato flavor to food during the winter months. Today, concentrato di pomodoro is sold in tubes in Italy. Once you open the tube, store it in the refrigerator. Use the tomato paste very sparingly—even a dot of it will lend color and flavor to a sauce or to tomato pasta. As flavorful as concentrato is, doppio (double) and triplo (triple) are even richer.